July 25th, 1976, 9:52a.m., a shabby but cozy house in London

Remus

Remus padded down the stairs towards the kitchen and the sounds of breakfast being made. He rubbed at his eyes and waved to his mother, who was sitting at the table, then walked over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.

"There's a letter for you, darling," his mother called. "From your friend, Sirius."

Remus's fingers slipped on the mug, but he caught it again before anyone could notice. "Thanks, mum," he said, holding his mug more securely now. He filled it with coffee, trying not to look like he was rushing, then dressed it with milk and sugar. He took a seat at the table and picked up the letter, opening it eagerly, but not too eagerly.

"Remus,

I'm glad you liked the chocolates! I always thought Honeydukes was your favorite part of Hogsmeade –"

"Remus?"

Remus almost dropped the letter into his coffee, looking around in surprise. Sirius wasn't here, so why could he hear his voice?

His mother leaned back in her chair to peer into the living room. "Dear, I believe you have a Floo caller," she said, looking over at him.

Remus stood up, hoping he wasn't blushing, and made his way around the table and into the living room. Sirius's head was floating in the fireplace, his expression concerned despite the distortion of the flames.

"What's up?" Remus asked, kneeling down in front of the fire.

"I left my parent's house," Sirius said quickly, "I'm at James's house for the rest of the summer. I had to tell you not to send an owl back to their house."

"What happened?" Remus asked him, leaning in.

"They found your last letter," Sirius said, and Remus felt his face blanching.

"They kicked you out?" Remus asked in a hushed voice.

"No, I left. I had to tell James, I'm sorry."

"I don't mind," Remus said, "it's fine. Are you alright?"

Sirius hesitated. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

"You're lying," Remus said. "I'm going to ask if I can visit for today, hang on."

"I – okay."

Remus gave him a nod, then rose and moved back into the kitchen. "Mum? Dad?"

"What is it?" his mother asked, looking up from her crossword.

"Would it be okay if I went to James's house for the day?" he asked. "I can come back before your meeting tonight, Dad," he added quickly before his father could even mention it.

"I think it would be fine," his mother said, looking over at his dad.

His dad shrugged. "I suppose it would be alright. You just have to make sure that you're back by five so you can stay with your mother before I leave."

"Of course," Remus said quickly. He started back towards the living room and the fire.

"Wait, Remus!"

He stopped, looking back at his mum. "Yes?"

"Are you going to go without breakfast? And in your pajamas?" she said.

Remus looked down at his shirt and loose pants and flushed. "Right. I'll just tell them that I'll be there soon."

His mother gave a nod and turned back to her crossword. Remus hurried back to the fireplace and knelt down.

"Mrs. Potter said she wouldn't mind if you came," Sirius said.

"My parents said I could go, too, but I have to be back by five; my dad has a meeting and I have to stay with my mother."

"That's fine," Sirius said. "When are you coming?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes?" Remus told him. "I've got to eat and get dressed."

Sirius nodded, but Remus could tell that he was still anxious. "Don't rush and choke, okay, Moons?"

"I won't, don't worry," Remus said, smiling at him. "I'll be there in a bit."

"Alright. See you soon."

"Bye, Sirius."

"Bye, Remus."

His face vanished from the flames. Remus stood up slowly. Then he ran into the kitchen, almost knocked his father over, and up the stairs, shouting an apology over his shoulder. He dressed quickly, then hurried back downstairs to get breakfast so he could leave.

"Stop rushing, you'll gag!" Remus's mum chided him as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. Remus swallowed, then muttered another apology and ate more slowly. He drank the last of his coffee and pushed back his chair; he washed his dishes and set them in the drying rack, then walked back towards the living room.

"Bye, mum," Remus said, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Don't forget your vitamins!" his mother said. Remus turned back and she dropped a few pills into his hand; he stole her orange juice to take the pills.

"I'll see you later," Remus said to them as he started back to the living room.

"Bye, son!" his father called.

"Love you!" his mother added.

"Love you too," he answered. He took the Floo powder from the mantle and tossed a pinch into the fire; it roared and turned green. "Potter House!" he called and stepped into the fire.

He stepped out into a large sitting room, then promptly fell onto a brown and red paisley carpet.

"Will any of you ever exit the Floo gracefully?" he heard Mrs. Potter say.

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter," Remus said, pushing himself up and brushing away soot.

"James and Sirius are upstairs, in James's room," said Mrs. Potter, stepping forward and giving him a quick hug. "Sirius seems to be very antsy about seeing you," she added, with a knowing look. He nodded, not really caring that she probably knew about them as well.

"Thanks," he said, going towards and then up the stairs. He found James's room rather easily and opened the door.

James looked up, and a Golden Snitch struck him in the temple.

"Fuck! Get off!" James flapped his hands at the Snitch, sending it reeling towards the other side of the room. "Sirius, your boyfriend is here," James then called.

"Hang on!" Sirius called from a closed door. Remus heard a toilet flushing and raised a hand to his forehead; the door opened and Sirius stepped out.

"Hey," Sirius said, a smile growing on his face.

"Did you wash your hands?" Remus asked.

Sirius scowled as James cackled with laughter. He turned back, grumbling.

"At least you're not awkward," James said. "Sirius has been pacing up and down the room ever since he called you."

Sirius exited the bathroom again and strode forward. He held out his hands, and said: "Are they clean enough for you?" he asked.

Remus hugged him. "I don't care," he said. Sirius huffed, but hugged him back tightly.

"Let me know when I can look again," James called.

The two of them broke apart. Remus flushed, but Sirius rolled his eyes. "Shut up, James," he said.

James parted two fingers, peeking out at them. "Oh, you're not snogging."

Remus turned an even darker shade of red. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you like us to?" he asked.

James shrugged. "Not really, but the urge hits you, feel free."

Sirius rolled his eyes again, and Remus flushed even more. He looked back at Remus, then put his arms around him again, in an even tighter hug. Remus touched a hand to his hair, stroking it gently. From what Sirius had said over the Floo, Remus could tell that he was hurt deeply by his parents' words and actions. Remus couldn't blame him. It was one of Remus's worst fears as well.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there and eye-fuck each other, or are we going to do something?" James asked.

"We're not just going to stand here," Sirius said, letting go of Remus again. "We're going to sit down and resume our hug."

James rolled his eyes. "You've been together, what, a month? And you're already in the constant contact stage."

"Hey, if you managed to convince Evans to go out with you for a month, would you rather stand on the other side of the room and make awkward eye contact?" Sirius asked.

James cocked his head. "Touché, Sirius."

Sirius pulled Remus onto a sofa, and Remus curled up with his head on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius buried his face in Remus's hair, his arms holding him to his chest. Remus listened to his breathing, which had been shallow and uneven, as it began to deepen and calm.

"I'm actually going to leave you be," James said a minute later, and his voice was a little more empty than it had been a moment before. "I'll be back in a bit, so if you want to be alone, you should probably go to Sirius's room."

"Thanks, Prongs," Sirius said. James gave him a nod before he left the room.

Remus watched the door shut, then turned to face Sirius. He had no chance to say anything, as Sirius was pressing his lips against Remus's the moment he turned around. They kissed for a moment, then Sirius pulled back, leaning his forehead against Remus's.

"I'm glad you're here," he murmured.

Remus squeezed his hand. "I'll always be here."